Roman holiday

Part of me feels as though it is falling down stairs whenever a well known philosopher asks on his blog for advice on what to see and what fabulous restaurants to eat at when visiting some glamorous place. (Envy is its own punishment, I suppose.) So I am aware of the danger in asking this, but here goes anyway. I'm going on vacation with my family to Rome next month. If anyone reading this has advice, please feel free to share it.

I'm thinking maybe this itinerary: http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/itinerary-for-5-days-in-rome.html with Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii, and as many of the "weird things to do in Rome" as we can manage. Visiting the Vatican sounds unpleasant but necessary. I'd be especially interested in hearing solutions to this dilemma. Surely the "city of iniquity" is a must-see?